Clockwork Gear
by VelocityRaptor
Summary: Requip mage Alfred Morgenstern thought Carmellia Town was just another stop at his long journey. He never expected being convinced by a loud and energetic Dragon Slayer to join her guild, Clockwork Gear. Filled with my OC's. Reboot of the old version of this fanfic. Give it a read for a little fun and weirdness.
1. Gears of Fate

**Clockwork Gear**

**I do not own Fairy Tail or any other thing of pop culture that inspired my OC's (like Cardfight Vanguard). Made for shits and giggles. Sorry if my writing is terrible and if my OC's aren't so original.**

**Sun Village, Tartaros, Avatar, and Alvarez Empire arcs will be ignored.**

**Chapter 1: Gears of Fate**

* * *

Carmellia Town, X792...

Cobblestone streets filled with people as the morning sun rose to signal the start of the day. The great clock tower in the middle struck the 6 AM mark as a start.

"Finally back!" a loud woman's voice erupted abruptly.

Making her way through the streets from the outskirts was the source of the voice. It was a young, curvaceous woman with light skin, golden eyes, and short blonde hair with two long tufts on the sides. She wore a black tube top, white sleeves attached to golden rings on her arm, black pants, brown shoes, and a white scarf around her neck. Imprinted on her left shoulder was the mark of a hexagon with two steampunk gears spinning inside.

"Always looking to eat right after. Where's Ruth's..." the woman muttered, instinctively turning everywhere around the bustling town.

BANG!

"That's where Ruth's is!" the woman's golden eyes widened in terror as she ran to the direction of the explosion. Pushing through the gathered crowd, she witnessed a small, brick orange building with a hole blasted through the wall. Conveniently enough, the place was called "Ruth's". As what appeared to be robbers holding magic guns and swords emerged, weapons aimed at the crowd, the woman was, needless to say, pissed. Golden bolts of lightning suddenly sparked across her fingers.

"No one messes with my favorite steak house an-"

"STOP!" out came a male voice from within the crowd.

The bolts stopped as the woman looked to her left, seeing someone walk out of the crowd.

"Who are you?!" one of the robbers snarled, aiming his magic gun.

The man who called out to them revealed himself. He was fairly tall in height, with light skin, bright red eyes, and blue hair. He appeared to be wearing a white coat with blue lines traveling all over, a light praetorian cuirass underneath, blue and white fingerless gloves with red crystals, and blue trousers, and white boots.

"Just a concerned traveler." the man spoke up once more.

'They have guns...what's he thinking?' the blonde woman from earlier thought. 'I have to mo-'

She stopped her attempt to help when the blue haired man started glowing.

'He's a wizard?' she wondered.

When the light died down, he wore something different: a new set of armor. It appeared bulky with a red and gold color scheme. The helmet covered all but the face and in his hands was an orange sword lined with silver **(Evil Slaying Swordsman Haugan)**

"Runeblade Armor!" the man declared, raising his sword.

'Requip? He's kinda like Ivy then.' the blonde woman thought, observing the scene before her.

"Die!" one robber suddenly charged the armored man with his sword. He swung, but the man intercepted with his own sword. Despite the bulky looks, he appeared to be moving fine with the armor on. The armored man continued to parry the robber's sword attacks before countering with a quick slash. The force of the blade sent the robber flying to the nearby brick wall, knocking him out with a quick thud.

The other robbers were pissed. They aimed their guns at the crowd, unaware that the armored man had a plan.

"Blast Rune: Confringo!"

The man slashed the air, casting a glowing orange rune. Mid-flight, the rune exploded, knocking out the rest of the robbers. He then requipped back to his original clothes as the civilians cheered him on with applause and woots.

'Well, that was cool.' the blonde woman smirked, then she frowned. Something came into her senses. It wasn't over yet. The blue haired man turned to the gathered cheering crowd.

"No need to thank me. I'm happy to help." he told them before walking his way out.

'But something else is up...What was it that the Master said about suspicious activity? I gotta figure it out.' the blonde woman frowned before making her way out of the crowd.

* * *

Later...

The blue haired man was now sitting in another restaurant on the other side of the town. Calmly, he sipped water while waiting for his order.

"Your order, Mr. Morgenstern." a waitress put down a bowl of beef stew on his table with a smile.

"Thank you." the man, whose last name is Morgenstern, bowed his head slightly at the waitress before taking the spoon to dig in. He was only a few scoops in before finishing the whole bowl when a man came into the building frantically, looking like he had just seen a ghost.

"A bunch of creatures showed up at the bridge! They look like they're made of metal!"

The instant the last word was uttered, someone rushed out through the door. It was Morgenstern, as he glowed and requipped to his Runeblade Armor. He aimed his sword at his back as he ran.

"Flight Rune: Volant!" a white rune appeared on his back, sprouting into magical wings that let him glide into the air.

"Wait! You didn't pay yet!" the waitress from earlier called out to him, until another nudged her shoulder and pointed at the table where he was, showing a half eaten bowl of stew and a bunch of money left behind as payment.

* * *

Later...

Morgenstern made it to the bridge on the north side of the town. What he saw next shocked him. A group of metallic humanoids were terrorizing that section there. They appeared to be made of metal, sporting steel armor that appeared to be attached to their body, their arms and shoulders sprouted various kinds of weapons, and they hovered over the ground thanks to the boosters on their feet.

"What in the world...I have to stop this." Morgenstern quickly glided downwards towards the nearest humanoid, who turned his wrist mounted gun at the armored mage and fired. A green laser struck true, hitting Morgenstern in the chestplate, sending him to the ground with a crash. As the smoke that formed subsided, Morgenstern stood up, dazed, only to see that all the humanoids had their weapons aimed at him.

"He's the one who stopped the robbery." one of the humanoids told his allies.

"Kill him." the other replied.

They fired.

"Shield Rune: Clypeus!" Morgenstern casted another rune, which was blue in color and large in size. It spun around, blocking the lasers and bullets. However, from the sheer amount and force, it wasn't going to hold for long.

Morgenstern called out, "Requip!" He glowed bright before jumping out of the way of the attacks. In the air, the light died down to reveal his current armor. It was a gray, wolf-themed armor with a figurehead of said animal on his left pauldron. In his hands were two swords with blades on the guard. **(Battlefield Storm Sagramore; the original version)**

"Stormwolf Armor!" he declared, miniature tornadoes on his feet keeping him in the air. Morgenstern charged in at high speed, meeting the wrist blades of the nearest humanoid. The others fired at point blank range, but he slashed at them with his other sword to keep them at bay.

"Tornado Slash!" he started spinning at high speed, swords out like a tornado. The closest humanoid was cut up numerous times before one final slash from Morgesntern sent him flying with a gust of wind. The others weren't spared either, but they received less hits.

There were only four left, but the metallic humanoids had Morgenstern surrounded...or so they did.

Someone suddenly jumped into the fray, leaving only one of the humanoids unaware, but it was too late. It was the blonde woman from earlier!

"Lightning Dragon's Thunder Fist!" she charged her right hand with lightning, socking the humanoid she was behind as he turned around. It sent him flying to his own ally, making them crash to a wall with a loud thud.

"Another wizard?" the humanoids quickly regrouped near the bridge as they saw the two.

"We must adjust quick-"

The woman was suddenly there in front of them, body blazing with lightning.

"Too slow!" she smirked and fired away another Thunder Fist, the force of the attack smashing another one, the metal body not even helping either against lightning. However, the last two flew off and prepared shoulder mounted launchers. They fired missiles at the woman, who stood her ground.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

From her mouth, she unleashed a beam of concentrated lightning, intercepting the missiles mid flight and forcing them to dodge in separate directions. One was unlucky enough to have to cross blades with Morgenstern. The other tried to fly to his ally's aid, but the woman somehow reached him from the ground to stories above the street with a belly to back hold and leaned back with great force to throw him the other way.

The aerial swordfight continued. The humanoid swung his wrist blades in a frenzy while Morgenstern parried and dodged each attack. Eventually, one parry left the humanoid wide open.

"Tornado Slash!" he spun again, locking the humanoid in a flurry of wind and steel. One final slash from Morgenstern sent him back to the ground, crashing with a loud boom.

The last of the attackers recovered, all weapons out and firing wildly. Both Morgenstern and the woman charged from air and land respectively, the former glowing to requip once again.

"Requip!" as the light died down, his new armor was revealed: it was mostly white and gold in color, with green lines forming on certain portions with a black suit underneath and fingerless gloves with the same green lines. The sword was great in length and white in color with gold on the crossguard. Red crystals adorned the helmet, chestplate, crossguard, and fauld. **(BLASTER BLADE...LIBERATOR!)**

"Golden Savior Armor!" As the missiles came close to him, Morgenstern casted his own spell.

"Shield of Light!" a great circular prism of light magic intercepted the missiles before they could even get close to him.

'Cool armor.' the woman smirked as the humanoid attacker fired his arm mounted lasers at her. She managed to dodge them while maintaining top speed until she managed to reach the spot behind the attacker.

"Hey, catch!" she called out to the man before delivering a lightning infused side kick to the humanoid that sent him flying, dazed. Seeing this, Morgenstern channeled his own spell.

"Aura Blade: Fortem!" Lining his sword with magic power, it began glowing a brilliant golden light before he reigned his sword down on the flying humanoid, sending him crashing down to the streets as well.

Every single one of the attackers were beaten and the attack had ceased.

"What were those guys..." Morgenstern wondered to himself, then turned to the woman from earlier, who was catching her breath.

"What are...a bunch of Machias...doing under their service?" she panted. Then, she remembered the blue haired guy she saw earlier. She turned around to see him walking towards her.

"I am in your debt." Morgenstern started. "Also, you mentioned something about these men being under someone's service?"

"Aye." the blonde smirked. "Looks like the dark guild Snake Scale is amping up their game. Someone's gotta take care of them..."

"I will." he volunteered, requipping back to his original clothes. The woman raised an eyebrow.

"You sure you want to do that alone? These guys aren't exactly pushovers." she explained.

"Well, I can't just sit around and do nothing. To help and save innocents is what I have learned to do."

With a smirk, the woman replied, "You, I like. What's your name?" she extended a hand.

"Morgenstern. Alfred Morgenstern." the man, Alfred, accepted her handshake.

"And I'm Aella Leonhart of the Clockwork Gear guild. Come on, I should take you to meet the crew."

* * *

**Well, there are two main characters. If you don't know whom I got the appearances from...**

**Alfred Morgenstern - Aichi Sendou (Cardfight Vanguard; just make him taller and give him red eyes)**

**Aella Leonhart - Leone (Akame ga Kill!)**

**Also, the Clockwork Gear mark is the Gear Chronicle logo from Cardfight Vanguard**


	2. The Knight and The Dragon

**Chapter 2: The Knight and The Dragon**

* * *

Alfred found himself following Aella to the nearby hill not too far from the city.

"You belong to a guild?" he asked her.

"Aye!" Aella exclaimed with pride as they walked through the dirt path. She flashed the guild mark on her left shoulder. "This proves it. You should consider joining up. Master Vesta is always eager to have some fresh meat in the guild."

"Maybe, but I was only planning to be in here for a day before leaving." Alfred told her.

"Seriously? Are you a wanderer or something?" Aella asked incredulously, hand tracing her blonde hair in confusion.

"Yes, I am." Alfred admitted to her. "I've been traveling for two years now, stopping by towns, helping out people in need..."

"Sounds rough. Don't you ever wish you had a home?" she asked him.

"Last time I had a home..." Alfred spoke somberly. "-I couldn't apply the values I learned to help others in need."

"Well, don't worry." Aella smiled. "This home won't lock you up and not let you be the good gentleman you are. Anyway, we're here."

Alfred couldn't help but be impressed by the building he saw. It was like an old castle, its walls and towers refurbished and adorned with purple and white banners of the same mark on Aella's shoulder. The wooden double doors appeared to have been recently cleaned and appear very sturdy. Without a second thought, Aella pushed the doors wide open as she and Alfred entered a new environment (for him, at least).

The interior was also quite lovely. From the doorway, a long purple carpet extended all the way to the bar at the end of the great hall, where various mages were eating, drinking, laughing, etc. while sitting on the wooden benches and tables. Several plants lined the interior walls and chandaliers hung from the ceiling, bringing light to the entire place.

"I'm back!" Aella called out with a loud voice.

"You sure got involved in quite a ruckus, Aella!"

"Were those Machias really from Snake Scale?!"

"Who's the guy with you?"

Ignoring the comments with a smile, Aella dragged Alfred through the purple carpet.

"So, where's the master?" he asked the blonde Dragon Slayer.

"Right over there, sitting in the bar area." Aella pointed at a tall, busty woman with bright skin, long, orange hair and charcoal black eyes. She appeared to be wearing an orange, full body cloak with yellow lines engraved all over. She also wore wooden sandals for her feet. The orange haired woman turned to Alfred and Aella and smiled kindly.

"Aella, you brought a friend." she noticed.

"Master Vesta, this is Alfred Morgenstern." the blonde began to explain as they stood in front of the Clockwork Gear guild master. "He was the first to respond to both the Ruth's robbery and the Machias attack."

"Well, it's not everyday that a stranger with as much bravery as you shows up to Carmellia. I'm Vesta Alighieri. Thank you for your bravery." Vesta spoke.

Alfred bowed politely. "I appreciate the thanks, Ma'am, but there is a pressing matter right now."

Vesta then turned to Aella with a serious look, no longer smiling. "Yes, I think I've tolerated them for far too long. Aella, go and destroy them."

"I will." the blonde smirked. "But, Alfred wants to tag along so I hope you won't mind."

"Of course. No doubt they would want revenge on him for getting involved." Vesta remarked. "Now, head out. The Snake Scale hideout is a train ride from here."

Aella's face immediately contorted into dismay. 'Not another train...' she thought.

"Is there something wrong between Aella and trains?" Alfred asked, prompting Vesta to chuckle a little.

"Dragon Slayers like Aella get motion sickness." the guild master explained. "Try to tend to her as the train moves. She'll need it."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Later...

With a little guide on where to stop, Alfred and Aella went on their way to the Snake Scale hideout. But, since they were on a train, the blonde Dragon Slayer was sprawled all over her seat like a possessed little girl, looking dizzy. Before leaving, Aella had changed her outfit. She now wore a white, scaly sleeveless vest with a yellow lightning bolt symbol in the center, and red and silver pants with golden boots with metal soles. Her guild mark was much more exposed without the sleeves and she retained the white scarf around her neck.

"I think I'm gonna hurl..." she moaned.

"I'm sure we'll be there soon, Aella." He put a hand on her shoulder as a means of comfort.

"Wake me up when we get there..." she managed to let those words out before letting out a gargle and stop talking.

Sighing, Alfred looked out the window as the train continued forward to their destination.

* * *

_Flashback...2 years ago..._

_"Where are you going?!"_

_"You taught me to help people, to protect the innocent, and you keep me from doing that! What does that make me?! What does that make you?!"_

_"But you're not ready yet!"_

_A brown haired woman in steel armor tried to stop then-16 year old Alfred from walking out the gates that have kept him inside his entire life. She suddenly requipped, summoning a sword and a spear whose blades glowed light blue._

_"Alfred, don't you walk away from me!"_

_He glowed bright, requipping into the Golden Savior armor in a flash. Alfred turned and swung his sword, which glowed white with light magic, smashing into the woman's spear with such force that it knocked her away. Seeing his actions, young Alfred briefly hesitated to do anything else._

_"Alfred...your father..." the woman started._

_"Is not here anymore. To apply our family's values and help the world is what he would've wanted."_

_With that, still donning the Golden Savior armor, Alfred walked out of the gates of his home for the first time._

* * *

Alfred winced a little on his seat. On that day, two years ago, he ran from "home". He had hurt his aunt Ashley with that fateful sword swing. Despite his regret, it frustrated him.

'To protect and to save the innocent. To work in the light and uphold the common good. That is how the Morgenstern family has endured through the years.'

Those were the very words he had been told by his aunt, uncles, and the servants. However, zero was the number of times he had applied those values until the day he left. He pondered on and on about the old life he had.

"We are now arriving at Maryllis station."

Alfred heard this and stopped his pondering, nudging Aella's shoulder as she was still lying down on her seat.

"We're almost there, Aella."

"About damn...time..."

* * *

Maryllis Town...

"So...where do we go first?" Alfred asked Aella, who finally recovered after they left the train station.

"Maybe we should...eat first?" that answer came from the fact that she was looking at a restaurant right beside them. Alfred sweatdropped.

"...I can see why." However, even he couldn't deny that they couldn't fight dark mages on an empty stomach.

* * *

The next thing Alfred knew, he sat in the same table in the same restaurant as Aella, watching as she gobbled up the chicken she ordered bit by bit. As he set down the spoon for his bowl of stew for a little while, he asked her,

"So, what's your story?"

"Hmm?" Aella managed to peek over her chicken (or what was left of it).

"Before you joined your guild. What was your story?"

"Well..." Aella managed to swallow some food before taking a chicken leg while pondering. "-I was raised since infancy by my foster father: he's a lightning dragon named Azymander. Unlike other dragons, he didn't have wings so he was kind of an outcast. But, he loved me nonetheless. Treated me like his own. Taught me to read, write, and use my magic."

She briefly made sparks dance on her free hand as a little demonstration.

"Aren't all dragons...gone?" Alfred hesitated at that last word, not wishing to offend Aella in any way.

"Well, you could say that. Azymander was already old and dying from battles from centuries ago. I was barely seven when he passed. Before I had to wander off again, he told me to be strong, to be the best person I can be. Well, that didn't go so well. I happened upon Dahlia Town."

"Dahlia Town?" Alfred was surprised by the name she had brought up. There was a reason he never even set foot in such a place. "Wasn't that place closed down due to the rampant slavery there?"

"Aye." Aella spoke somberly. "I was taken in by a family there...and it all went downhill from there. What you may not know is that families there utilized magic suppression cuffs to keep mages there in line. Such tools were used on me. At the same time, they forcefully implanted me with Dragon Lacrima upon finding out I was a Dragon Slayer."

"Wouldn't that make you a..." Alfred knew what she would be if she was both raised by a dragon and implanted with Dragon lacrima, but she cut him off.

"Third Generation Dragon Slayer. Anyway, I ended up being a slave, expected to clean and wash everything with no pay or food of any kind. I was even expected to be some...bodyguard, to be sold to the highest bidder. It wasn't until I was around fifteen when I managed to escape. I was able to break off the magic suppression cuffs and escape through the sewage system. I never looked back until I got to Carmellia Town. Master Vesta took me in with open arms."

The blue haired mage was left speechless at her entire story. "I'm sorry I asked. It must've hurt for you to remember it all."

"It's fine. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. Anyway, let's eat then go."

"Right."

* * *

Later...it was already getting dark. The sun was slowly setting in the horizon and the two trekked through the woods beyond Maryllis regardless.

"Sure is creepy around here." Aella remarked.

"Are you sure you don't need a light?" Alfred asked her from behind, trying to follow her while the darkness of the forest tried to keep him from doing so.

"My senses never lie." she bragged, smirking.

"I hope you're right..."

They were walking for quite a long time now. That is, until Aella put her arm out to the side, stopping Alfred with a little signal.

"Someone's here..." she charged her fists with lightning while Alfred summoned a sword and pointed it at the intruder.

"Show yourself!" he spoke with a commanding tone.

Aella sweatdropped in front of him. "That's your best option?"

Then, they heard a voice,

"Aella? What are you doing here?" a cold, feminine one at that.

The mentioned blonde dispelled her lightning fists.

"Ivy? Is that you?" she called out into the darkness.

Alfred didn't do anything as another figure stepped into their clear view. She was almost an inch taller than Aella, with long black hair that reached all the way to her spine and light blue eyes with not a lot of emotion. She wore a blue and white kimono with dark wooden sandals on her feet.

"It is you, Aella." the woman, Ivy, sighed. "Who's this?"

"Lots to explain."

* * *

In a deep, dark cave artificially hollowed up for personal use, two figures are seen talking, one of which appeared to be like a human-snake hybrid.

"I have a bad feeling those Clockwork Gear bastards will show up soon. Is the cat still locked up?" the first figure asked.

"Of courssssssse." the hybrid hissed (pun intended). "As long as Jack cooperates, the little talking cat of his doesn't get it."

* * *

Meanwhile...

In a small valley beyond the forest, sitting on one of the high rocky formations was a slim man. He sported plain white hair and silver eyes with with rather pale skin. He wore a plain white coat and tunic with dark blue pants and boots. He looked up in the stars.

"This was never the path I planned to take, but to save my friend, I have to abide for now..."

As he did so, the air around him began to freeze into snowy crystals as the image of a crystalline white and blue dragon with glowing red eyes and a beaked mouth appeared behind him. **(Imagine Gungnir Dragon of the Ice Barrier)**

* * *

**Well, there are our other two main characters (Spoilers, sort of) Anyway, face claims**

**Ivy - Ryougi Shiki (Saber) (FGO)**

**Jack - Shogo Makishima (Psycho Pass)**


	3. Snakes in the Valley (edited)

**Chapter 3: Snakes in the Valley**

* * *

It didn't take long for the three to set up a camp fire in the forest. Alfred, Aella, and Ivy sat around it, looking at one another, or in this case, Ivy was looking at both the Dragon Slayer and the Requip mage.

"So, aren't you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?" Ivy scoffed. The two sitting in front of her both flushed red.

"Ivy, it's not like that at all!" Aella waved her hands with embarrassment. "This is Alfred Morgenstern, Snake Scale's possible newest target. Alfred, meet Ivy Okada. She's a Requip mage like you."

"Um...it's nice to meet you." Alfred extended his own hand for a handshake, but one emotionless look from Ivy made him reconsider. 'It's like she has zero emotion...'

"Why would Snake Scale want to target him?" Ivy asked Aella.

"Well, let's just say he dealt with some robbers and Machias under their thumb." the Dragon Slayer explained. "We're off to bring them down for good."

The black haired woman tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? That's what I was going to do until I heard you two talking in the woods."

"What? How did you find out about them?"

* * *

_Flashback...3 hours ago..._

_Right there in Maryllis Town, Ivy sat in the nearby bar, which just so happened to be right next to the restaurant Aella and Alfred were eating in. We see Ivy drinking a cup of tea when she let her head jerk to the side to hear some people talk._

_"Snake Scale was at it again." one man said._

_"That dark guild brewing trouble from the valley beyond the forest? What happened?" a woman asked._

_"Supposedly, they sent robbers and Machias to Carmellia Town." another man replied._

_"Isn't that the home base of the Clockwork Gear guild? Think they'll do something about it?"_

_It didn't take long for Ivy to set down the cup of tea and leave, the door loudly swinging open._

* * *

"I considered charging in straight away,-" Ivy continued to explain to them. "-but instead, I chose to bide my time, wait for morning to rest up."

"Why didn't you do that instead?" Alfred asked. Beside him, Aella slapped her head, groaning.

"Because...that would be really stupid!" The Requip mage felt the blonde's fist smack him upside the head while Aella roared her annoyance out. She then turned to Ivy.

"So, did you find anything interesting?" Aella asked Ivy.

"I know one thing: They may have a 3rd gen Dragon Slayer on their side."

* * *

The next day...

Ivy ended up leading the two through the forest to where they assume the valley of Snake Scale is. The sun shone through the trees as they trekked closer towards the light.

"So, about that 3rd gen Dragon Slayer..." Aella began to speak.

"We don't know about which element they might use." Ivy quickly spoke. "We'll just find out when we get there. Anyway, new guy, what can you do?"

"Well, I can requip weapons and armor." Alfred explained briefly.

"That's interesting." Ivy replied, nonchalant. That's when the blue haired mage leaned closer to Aella's ears for a whisper.

"Is she always like that?" he asked softly.

"Zero personality? Yeah." Aella whispered back.

Ivy didn't bother figuring out what they were whispering about. As far as she was concerned, Snake Scale had to be dealt with, fast. While they whispered, they stepped closer into the morning light.

Out with the trees, and in with the valley. It was vast, alright. By itself, the valley was barren. Very little patches of grass covered its entire mass. Numerous rock formations dotted the landscape. An ominous wind blew as they took in the sight of the valley.

"We're here." Ivy told them.

"Ain't this a pretty sight." Aella smirked.

"We should be cautious as we head down." Alfred pointed out.

BANG!

Cue another "Aella punches Alfred in the back of the head" moment.

"Don't be a killjoy." she snarled at him.

"Aella's temper aside, let's go." Ivy began her march to the entrance of the valley.

'Zero personality.' both Dragon Slayer and Requip user thought mentally.

* * *

Meanwhile...

A group of snakes can be seen slithering up a rock, spiraling as they did so. They stopped once they reached the top, and sitting on the edge was Jack.

"Magesssss come..." one of the snakes spoke to the white haired man. "You know what you must do."

"Kill them?" Jack asked.

"What elsssse?"

With that last message, the snakes went on their way, hissing as they slithered off the rock. Jack stood up, taking in the air around him.

"They're right. Mages are here...and one of them is a fellow dragon."

* * *

As that happened, Ivy, Alfred, and Aella were still trekking through the barren valley.

"You think the townsfolk are right about their location?" Alfred asked the kimono woman in front of him.

"Aella?" Ivy quickly spoke the Dragon Slayer's name, prompting her to take a quick whiff.

"Smells like actual snakes here. Yes, Ivy's right." Aella confirmed.

"That can't be enough." Alfred pointed out.

"I know what I smelled. Snake Scale mages always smell like snakes."

"What if you sensed an actual snake instead?"

Ivy sighed at the banter behind her. Having known Aella for quite a while, never before has she met a man who's had banter with Aella longer than how long it would take for her to eat a whole fried chicken.

Then she stopped walking, alerting the others. Aella spoke up.

"Ivy? Something wro-"

"GET DOWN!"

They immediately duck as a massive stream of ice, snow, and cold air nearly struck them from a far off rock pillar. It hit another rock pillar behind them, sending it crashing down. They slowly got up to observe the wreckage.

"Well that's some firepower." Ivy noticed. "I can only assume we're close."

"The Dragon Slayer is coming. Get ready!" Aella immediately picked up the scent.

Alfred noticed it from afar: a shadowy figure hopping from pillar to pillar towards their location. It stopped at the rock pillar in front of them.

It was Jack.

"That's as far as you three go." he declared.

Aella smirked. This guy was the Dragon Slayer Ivy was talking about. She loved a good fight.

"That stream of cold from earlier, was that you?" she asked.

"Why does that matter to you?" Jack asked back, only to see her fists charged with golden lightning.

"Because I sure as hell love a good fight!" Aella jumped up, throwing her fist back to strike Jack, who dodged her attack, which blew up a part of the rock pillar he stood on seconds ago. Seeing this, Alfred quickly requipped.

"Holyfire Armor!"

His new armor was almost purely gold in color with bluish crystal spheres dotting it along with a helmet and white long sleeves. In his hands was a glowing blue sword that appeared to be burning. (Bluish Flame Liberator, Percival)

Alfred was about to cast a spell with his new sword when someone grabbed his shoulder. It was Ivy.

"Come on, new guy. We have to find the Snake Scale hideout." she reminded him.

"But Aella-"

"Can handle herself. Let's go now." Ivy quickly ran deeper into the valley as Alfred looked on. Seeing Ivy, Jack wasn't going to let her get away.

"Ice Dragon Roar!" he unleashed the same stream of cold from his mouth and it was aimed at Ivy. However, it did not go unnoticed by Alfred. He jumped in the way and blocked it with his fiery sword. He willed the sword to burn brighter and hotter until he melted the roar. With the attack deflected, Alfred continued to run with Ivy.

"You have no idea what's at stake here!" Jack called out, trying to pursue the two, but a certain blonde quickly jumped in his way, fists brimming with electricity.

"Too scared?" Aella smirked.

"Don't get in my way, my friend is at risk!" the clear Ice Dragon Slayer growled at her.

"Aww...you love being in Snake Scale, now don't you?" Aella mocked.

"I'm with them because I have no other choice, so get out of my way!" Jack charged, his feet suddenly charging up. "Ice Dragon's Talon!"

"Lightning Dragon's Thunder Fist!"

Jack's ice enhanced foot and Aella's lightning enhanced fist collided with an explosion.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"Is it okay for us to just leave her?" Alfred asked Ivy.

"She'll be okay! With him around, Snake Scale can't be too far ahead." she explained quickly. As they ran, Ivy suddenly hopped away. Alfred gasped.

A bunch of mages fired beams of magic at their path. Each blast made a tiny hole on the rocky valley floor.

"Lookie here. A bunch of mages trying to stop our guild." one sneered.

"They got past Jack, huh? Figures that ice gnawing scumbag couldn't do his job properly." another replied.

"Speaking ill of their own comrade." Alfred seethed, Holyfire sword burning hotter than usual with his emotions.

"So maybe there is something at stake here." Ivy scoffed. "For now, we fight!"

She requipped, summoning what appeared to be a giant sword too big for her yet she carried with ease. It looked like a giant butcher knife with a circle hole close to the tip of the blade and a semi circle on the blade, near the handle. It had a strap attached to its handle. **(Kubikiribocho from _Naruto_)**

"Looks like I get to bring out Executioner out after all." she whispered.

"Who wants to taste our steel?!" Alfred declared, pointing his flaming sword at the dark mages, who readied either spells or swords.

Ivy raised the massive sword up into the air and a light blue magic circle appeared at the surface of the blade.

"Vacuum Blade!" Ivy suddenly willed the winds to concentrate on the Executioner, creating what appeared to be a massive blade that furthered the already great weapon's reach.

She slashed at the mages from where she was, striking even the farthest of them with great force.

"Azure Flame Slash!" Alfred slashed the air, sending a ray of blue flames, striking unlucky dark mages.

It then came down to melee combat. Ivy and Alfred slashed at the Snake Scale mages, easily overpowering them with their swordsmanship.

'She's really good with that sword of hers...' Alfred mentally remarked as he kept the dark mages on his side at bay.

'The new guy isn't so bad with his blade. Aella chose her partner right and Snake Scale chose their target wrong.' was Ivy's own mental remark about the blue haired man fighting alongside her.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Three figures observed the scene from afar. All three appeared to be half-man, half-snake, but the one in the center was gray in scales and sported a "hood" that sprouted from his neck and back.

"Jack was uselessssssss after all." the one on the hooded one's right spoke. He didn't have a hood and was orange in coloration. "Orderssssss, Mamba?"

The hooded hybrid, Mamba, flashed a fanged smirk.

"It'sssssss time to stop those gears from spinning..."

Strange substances being to ooze from the purple magic circles in their hands as they let out faint laughter.


	4. Battle of the Valley (edited)

**Chapter 4: Battle of the Valley**

* * *

The battle of the dragons continued. Aella and Jack traded blow after blow on one of the rock pillars. Aella fought the Ice Dragon Slayer like she enjoyed it. She let her instinct take over to dodge and counter each of Jack's attacks, which appeared precise. He fought her with his mind. It was about deception for him.

Then, she let her guard down briefly on one side. Jack smashed an Ice Dragon's Talon on that same side, making Aella stagger a little. She stepped back, only to realize she was on the edge of the pillar.

"Ice Dragon's Roar!" Jack fired his roar once again.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Aella retorted with a roar of her own. Ice and lightning collided for yet another explosion.

Right from the smoke, Jack charged, going low with a kick at Aella's right leg. However, the blonde noticed and jumped, suddenly hitting Jack in the face with a flying punch. Jack went flying, but he managed to get his hands on the ground midair to kip up and recover. Breathing heavily, the white haired Dragon Slayer focused his eyes on Aella, who was walking towards him.

* * *

The Snake Scale mages were still sent flying one by one. Alfred and Ivy constantly slashed at them. They continued using Requip. Ivy brought out a magic bow and Alfred brought out his Stormwolf Armor. He flew into the air.

"Howling Wind!" Concentrated gusts of air slammed into the group of dark mages, the resulting force knocking them away.

"Spread Shot!" Ivy fired an arrow from her bow. It split into multiple bolts midair, striking a wide area in front of her.

The chaotic fight continued. Ivy requipped again, two kunai that manifest in her hands. She blocked swords with the two blades she had before throwing one at a dark mage, pinning him to a rock by the shirt sleeve. Alfred swooped in, slashing against the Snake Scale swords with his own twin swords from the Stormwolf Armor.

Then, he saw a glob of purple slime was suddenly flying towards an unsuspecting Ivy.

"Watch out!" Alfred flew in to intercept the glob. He cast another Howling Wind to stop it. While it blasted the acid away, it still hit some rocks, leaving their integrity perilous as the corrosive acid melted away certain and vital parts and putting it at risk of toppling.

"Where did that come from?" Ivy noticed.

"From them." Alfred landed, pointing his sword at the new fighters.

Mamba and the two other snake-hybrids. Their lower snake halves let them slither all over the place, ascend rocks here and there and weave through the barren land with ease. Mamba grinned menacingly.

"Ssssso...you are the punk who's been messing with our plans."

* * *

Aella now had the advantage this time. Sure, Jack was quick, but she was quicker. Firing Thunder Fists on all cylinders, it was the Ice Dragon Slayer who was in the ropes this time, or so it seemed.

"Ice Dragon's Frozen Claws!" Jack suddenly willed the air to freeze around his arms, encasing them in tough ice and taking the form of razor sharp claws. He blocked one of Aella's punches before slashing at her with the other claw, but the blonde leaned back and cast another spell.

"Lightning Dragon's Flashing Cutter!" Her hand suddenly flashed with lightning, taking the form of a concentrated blade shaped like a small knife. Twisting her body, Aella used the momentum to slash her cutting hand at Jack's claws before applying the momentum to a roundhouse kick to the jaw. He went flying off the pillar and to the valley floor.

"You know,-" Aella started as she walked to the edge of the pillar to observe the wreckage below. "-if there's something really at stake here, why don't you tell me now?"

No one emerged from the smoke, leaving her confused, as Jack wasn't around in the hole he made. She got her answer a second later.

"Ice Dragon's Freezing Blade!"

She turned around, but it was too late. From a brief Ice-Make stance, Jack summoned a ghostly long sword which he quickly slashed Aella with, encasing her in ice. **(It's basically Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword)**

* * *

"Ssssso, what are you going to do about us?" Mamba sneered arrogantly.

"We're stopping you!" Alfred raised his sword with a lot of confidence. Behind him, Ivy facepalmed.

"That sounded so stupid." she remarked.

"Well you could try." Mamba continued, "However, would you do so and risk the life of THIS?!"

The orange snake-hybrid revealed something in the bag he was carrying, which shocked both Requip mages.

He was holding a cat, a silver furred humanoid cat the size of an actual cat. It was bound and gagged with rope, its dark blue eyes wide and crying and brown shirt tattered and torn.

Seeing that, Alfred was fuming. He requipped to his Golden Savior Armor, raising the blade as it glowed with light magic.

"You fiend!" he seethed as he walked towards Mamba, but he raised a knife and pressed it against the head of the cat.

"Don't move, or he getsssssss it..." Mamba made his ultimatum known, leaving the furious Alfred and the nonchalant Ivy in a pinch.

* * *

Meanwhile...

With Aella frozen, Jack quickly made his way deeper into the valley, hoping to stop the two other mages from gambling with what's at stake.

* * *

_Flashback...a week ago..._

_All we hear is voices and flashes of shadowy figures interacting are shown._

_"What do you want?!" Jack cried out._

_"It's either you be our watchdog or the little cat getssssss it!" that was Mamba._

_"His name is Mobius!"_

_"Assssssss if that matterssssss!"_

* * *

Immediately, Jack was broken from his thoughts when he felt a familiar presence behind him. He turned around, only to be socked in the face by Aella, who was grinning like an idiot. She hit him so hard he went flying across the dry field.

"How..." Jack struggled to get up. Aella still had her shit-eating grin.

"Thought I froze longer? Dude, I'm a Dragon Slayer like you. What else did you expect?" she explained.

"Look, there's more to this than you understand, blondie." Jack retorted.

"Well, spill the beans or get lost."

"Why don't YOU get lost!"

Jack fired another Ice Dragon's Roar at Aella, but she quickly sidestepped before lunging towards him, lightning powered fists ready. She threw a punch, but Jack dodged her attack, which hit the ground, smashing bits of it. He saw his opening.

"Ice Dragon's Talon!"

"Lightning Dragon's Talon!"

Powering up his feet once more with cold energy and ice, Jack jumped forward with an axe kick ready. Anticipating a counter attack, Aella met his heel with her lightning powered boot, her own Dragon's Talon spell.

Jack felt her hands grab him by the leg as she threw him into the air with great strength.

"It's on now!" she charged, but Jack turned his attention to where the others were.

"Ice Dragon's Roar!"

* * *

Mamba kept his dagger against the cat, Mobius's head in a tense scene. Alfred and Ivy couldn't move without risking his life, but they kept their hands on their weapons.

"Why are you doing this?" Alfred snarled.

"Y'know, now that I think about it..." Mamba started. "Since you two got past the Dragon Slayer, maybe he actually isn't worth it after all." He raised the dagger for the killing blow. Ivy watched as her companion rocketed forward on instinct.

"NO!" he roared, swatting the knife away with his sword. The others acted quickly, unleashing globs of corrosive acid as well, which didn't go unnoticed by Ivy. She threw her kunai in the way of the globs, instantly melting away midair as Ivy raised a hand up, creating a light blue magic circle.

"Cyclone Shuriken!" she threw a fuma shuriken made of pure wind magic at the other two hybrids while Alfred tried to wrest Mobius away from Manda. **(In other words, Rasenshuriken!)**

Manda was as slick as he was creepy. Every time Alfred looked like he had a clear shot, the snake man would just put Mobius in the way just to make him hesitate, and when that happened, he would fire acid magic at Alfred in close range, but he would manage to put up a Shield of Light at the last second to stop it from melting him.

Ivy kept the other two from interfering with Alfred, but their frenzied use of Acid Magic didn't make it any easier for her. The ground around her melted and their bodies made it easier for them to dodge her arrows and kunai.

It was ticking her off.

"You can't ssssstop us!" one sneered.

"Die! Acid Rain!" the other fired a glob up into the air. Ivy saw it implode on impact, causing it all to rain down at a large radius.

She requipped to a new weapon. It was almost as tall as the Executioner, but it was shaped like a fish and had two handles instead of one. **(Hiramekarei)**

"Omniblade, Assault Mode!" Ivy suddenly managed to split the blade into two, similar fish shaped swords, letting her magic run through them with bright blue energy.

"Your acid can't burn through magic, especially magic coated weapons!" she called out the other two hybrids before somehow managing to slash through the acid rain, saving herself and avoiding her weapons from being melted. The two hybrids were pissed. They threw more globs of acid at Ivy, but she was quick to dodge and cast a spell.

"Fishbone Paralysis!" she slashed the air with the Omniblade, firing a great shower of magic projectiles in the shape of bones.

However, the two hybrids dodged easily. They cackled.

"Is that the best that you have?!" one taunted, but Ivy replied with a sinister smile.

"Can you dodge being cooked?" she asked as she placed her hand on the ground. Suddenly, a big magic circle appeared underneath the hybrids. This time, they didn't have time to react.

"Burning Pillar!" Ivy cast her spell, unleashing a fiery blast from the magic circle towards the sky, incinerating the two hybrids until they looked cooked.

With the two down, Ivy stored away her Omniblade.

"Ivy! Look out!" Aella called out from afar.

Ivy turned around and saw Jack's roar coming at her at top speed. She jumped to the side to escape the blast, but immediately saw who it was going towards.

"Crap!"

Mamba saw this and moved out of the way with Mobius, stopping his acid spell. Seeing his opening, Alfred stepped forward, but felt something hit him hard in the back.

The Ice Dragon's Roar Jack had fired. With a cry of pain, Alfred was caught in an explosion of ice and snow as he fell to the ground, dazed. Mamba laughed at the sight while Mobius' screams of desperation were muffled.

"Guessssss he wasn't so uselessss after all!" he snorted.

Ivy was wide eyed as she saw this scene, then turned around and saw Jack being pinned to the ground by Aella. Sure, he'd struggle, but the Lightning Dragon Slayer was physically stronger.

"No! Let me go!" Jack cried out.

"You hurt him while he was trying to save your cat! Shouldn't you be damn grateful?!" Ivy snarled at him.

"Wh...What?"

"What cat?" Aella asked, confused.

"He said something was at stake, and after seeing that white cat in their hands, I can only assume you had no choice but to work with them because his life was at stake."

"Mobius..." Jack spoke. "Where is he?"

"You're too late!" Mamba's sinister voice echoed through the valley. Alfred struggled to get up as the snake man raised a glob of acid with his free hand to bring down his enemy for good.

"Say goodbye!" Mamba declared.

"No!" Ivy called out.

"ALFRED!" Aella screamed as all she saw was the image of Mamba about to douse Alfred in deadly acid.


	5. Defanged (edited again)

**Chapter 5: Defanged**

* * *

"ALFRED!"

That was the last thing Alfred heard as he saw Mamba about to bring his acid down on him. He had to do something or he dies, or Mobius dies, or both. Right before the acid was dangerously close to touching and melting his armor and him, Alfred managed to get his sword up.

"Shield of Light!" Alfred successfully put up the circular magic shield up to block Mamba's acid and, thanks to some shocks from the snake man hitting the shield, stagger him away.

Seeing this, the others sighed in relief.

"He's quick." Ivy noted.

"You almost gave me a goddamn heart attack!" Aella called out to him.

Alfred managed to stand up and respond to the attack. Mamba tried to stop him by putting Mobius up out front, but Alfred didn't go high, he went low.

"Incandescent Spark!" Alfred stabbed the ground, causing a stream of electricity to spurt from the crack, striking Mamba and shocking him. Mobius, on the other hand, had his white fur standing up in comedic fashion.

The best part? Mamba was too shocked to keep his hold on Mobius, so he dropped the little cat for Alfred to catch.

Jack was shocked. The stranger he had hit with his roar saved his friend.

"Aella, let him go. We're all good now." Ivy told her fellow mage. Shrugging, the blonde got off Jack's back to let him stand up and run towards Mobius as Alfred put the little cat down behind him, keeping him a safe distance away from Mamba, despite the latter being stunned.

"Both go free, you won't." Alfred warned the Snake Scale member. Then, he felt a presence run past him. It was Jack, and he was PISSED.

"Ice Dragon's Cold Fist!" With ice and snow all over his hand, Jack threw a vicious punch at Mamba's face, launching him to a rock which he smashed through with his broken body.

With that done, Jack turned his attention to Mobius, whose binds were being cut by Alfred. Limbs were free and gag was off.

"Mobius!" Jack quickly knelt down to check on him. "Are you okay?"

The little cat looked up to the Ice Dragon Slayer and... "All good thanks to these guys."

"YOU CAN TALK?!" Aella couldn't believe what she had just seen and heard.

"Yeah. I'm an Exceed!" Mobius explained. "Name's Mobius. Me and Jack hang out."

"A what?" Aella was still confused.

"It's a long story..." Jack started. "-and thank you. I'm Jack Weiss."

"Alfred Morgenstern." Alfred greeted back before pointing to the two women gathered with them. "That's Aella Leonhart and Ivy Okada."

Ivy nodded and Aella gave him a grin and a wave.

"Thank you all for this." Jack also nodded at them before turning to Mobius. "It's time to go now, buddy."

"Um, Jack, I don't think we can continue wandering forever without risk of being exploited again." Mobius pointed out.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked him.

"Yeah..." Mobius sighed. "Traveling's cool and all, but it's no fun if another dark guild just randomly takes us and turns you into their-"

"Wait." Ivy interrupted them, turning to where Mamba is supposed to be. The others turned around as well, Mobius hiding behind Jack's leg for safety. The earth began to shake. Something was coming, and it was big.

"What's going on?" Alfred spoke up.

"Something big is headed this way!" Aella stood in front of the group, battle stance up and ready to punch whatever was coming after them.

What she didn't expect...was a giant, 8-headed snake to rumble across the ground, with a golden belly and gray scales. Strangely enough, one of the heads was Mamba's.

"DIE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mamba hissed from his head in the anomaly that they witnessed.

"What the actual FUCK is that?!" Aella screamed.

"Does it matter?!" Ivy retorted. "Everybody move!" As the heads all converged on their location to take a bite of them all at once, they quickly moved out of the way. Alfred and Aella managed to move to the right and Ivy to the left. Jack was...being carried by Mobius...who now has angelic wings.

"And flight? Seriously?" Aella noted, still very confused as to how she ran into a cat that talks and flies while carrying a grown man.

"Everyone hit it!" Ivy requipped a lot of kunai that manifest into her hands.

"Death Blossom!" Ivy threw her kunai while randomly enchanting them with random magic. They struck the behemoth all over before exploding.

"Ice Dragon's Roar!" from above, Jack fired his roar.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Aella fired her own.

"Photon Link!" Alfred pointed his Golden Savior armor's sword at the snake, firing a concentrated beam of light from the tip of the blade. The remaining three attacks struck one head each, but Mamba clearly wasn't letting up. The other heads, except his own, attacked separately. Two heads smashed the ground, trying to get Alfred, Aella, and Ivy while the other desperately tried to bite at Jack and Mobius, who flew higher.

Seeing this, Alfred requipped back to his Stormwolf Armor, taking to the skies with tornadoes on his feet. He twisted midair and dealt a spinning slash to that same snake head's neck, essentially saving the Dragon Slayer and the Exceed.

"...Well, cut the heads!" Ivy called out to everyone as she requipped to the Omniblade, which was now coated with a massive blade of pure magic that brought drastic increase to its reach.

Aella jumped up at the nearest head and cast her spell. "Lightning Dragon's Flashing Cutter!" With her hand coated in a small blade of pure lightning magic, she slashed at the head, chopping it off.

Two down, five to go.

"Omniblade: Cut Mode!" With one jumping slice, Ivy cut off two heads from a safe distance with great precision.

Four down, three to go.

"Take out Mamba's!" Jack called out to the others. "Mobius, drop me."

"What?" the Exceed was bewildered.

"Trust me on this. I have a plan."

At first, he hesitated, but Mobius complied and dropped the Ice Dragon Slayer.

"Ice Dragon's Roar!" Jack fired his roar mid-air. The stream of ice and snow struck Mamba's head straight on, pushing him downwards, but the other two heads tried to attack him, or so they tried to.

Alfred swooped in with his swords, delivering a brutal twisting slice that cut those heads off, leaving Mamba's own head alone. Before the Snake Scale leader could recover, someone was headed towards him.

"I got him!" Aella called out. "Lightning Dragon's Thunder Fist!"

She delivered a lightning powered uppercut that made Manda jerk his head backwards violently.

'I'm not supposed to kill-' Ivy thought as she saw this. '-but I don't have a problem with intensive care.' She jumped up and requipped to her Executioner sword. Suddenly, a light blue magic circle appeared underneath her feet. Suddenly, a wave of water appeared under her feet as she rode the wave, Executioner's blade in the water.

"Rough Sea Slash!" Ivy slashed Executioner upwards, sending a great, scythe-like blade of water at Mamba, slashing half the neck off of the mighty beast as it finally fell to the ground.

"Now THAT was real nice." Aella remarked with a smirk.

"I'll say but..." Alfred interrupted, requipping to his normal clothes. "Did she kill him?"

"Nah." Aella shrugged. "Take a look." she pointed at the Mamba head. It began to melt with the rest of the severed heads and body. As the Mamba head melted, a familiar shape was revealed.

The actual Mamba. Jack took his chance and stepped forward, since the Snake Scale leader was too hurt to fight, or even escape, yet desperately crawled to safety. The Ice Dragon Slayer grabbed him by the neck viciously and forced him to look Jack in the eye.

"This is what happens when you mess with me." he snarled.

"You think they're your friends, punk?" Mamba sneered, smiling despite his situation. "At the end of the day, you're nothing to them. They'll just use you as a weapon in their arsenal."

"He lies!" Alfred retorted. "Coming from the one who did just that, it's so low!"

"Alfred..." Aella muttered as she and Ivy observe his outburst.

"Well..." the latter sweatdropped. "he has too much passion for his own good."

"Gehehehehehe..." Mamba chuckled at the scene before him. "Even if that's so, you're all just tools to a higher power...those legal guilds of your-"

THWOOM!

That was the sound made as Aella struck him with a Lightning Dragon's Thunder Fist, sending Mamba flying out of Jack's hand and into a rock pillar that blew up on impact.

"Really now?" Jack questioned the blonde, who shrugged.

"Seemed like the right thing to do. Besides, he's dang wrong about legal guilds." Aella pointed out.

"She's right." Ivy followed. "Our guild master doesn't call us trash or tools. Our guild is one, big, weird family. Weird, but it's family. Even though some joined in pursuit of glory, others joined because..."

Ivy briefly hesitated, startling Alfred a little. "-because they have nowhere else to go."

There was simple tension among them. Alfred, Aella, Ivy, Jack, and Mobius simply looked at one another, reading each other's emotions. Were they right about a guild? Was this even fate? They couldn't understand one another, but it seemed like they understood what one another needed.

"...It seems we have an agreement." Jack muttered before turning to his Exceed friend. "Am I right?"

Mobius nodded, saying "Yeah."

Turning to Ivy, the Ice Dragon Slayer spoke up. "Can we join your guild?"

* * *

Later...Clockwork Gear Building...

Master Vesta Alighieri sighed as she observed her guild go about their business from the second story when the doors swung open, watching as three people plus another tiny figure entered.

Ivy, Aella, Jack, and Mobius.

Vesta smiled at the sight. It wasn't like Ivy to bring along people to the guild, but she noticed something. Where was the Alfred person Aella brought along yesterday? Shrugging off the thought for a little while, she hopped off the second floor, landing on the wooden floor smoothly to meet with them.

"Ivy, Aella, welcome back. I heard all of Snake Scale has been arrested. Who are these two?" she asked kindly.

"Jack Weiss, and this little guy is Mobius." Aella answered. "Snake Scale blackmailed Jack into being their watchdog by keepin' Mobius hostage. There room for another Dragon Slayer and an...Exie?"

"Exceed." Mobius corrected, only for members of the guild to crowd around them.

"The cat can talk?"

"That's so cool!"

Raising a hand to silence them, Vesta smiled. "There's always room. By the way, where is Alfred?"

Aella sighed solemnly, prompting Ivy to answer for her friend. "He left. Probably on his way to the next town."

"Such a shame..." the Clockwork Gear master sighed. "-he would've made a fine member of our guild. However, we can't choose people's destinies for them, they decide what to do with the life they have. Well then, Jack, Mobius, shall I grant you your guild marks?"

"That would be nice, ma'am." Jack agreed. Mobius nodded cheerfully. They made their way to the bar area, where the stamp was.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Someone had knocked on the open door. They turned around to see someone walk in slowly.

Ivy raised an eyebrow, Jack and Mobius were wide-eyed, and Aella had her jaw on the ground.

It was Alfred. He walked forward until he was now facing the Clockwork Gear master. Then, he spoke,

"Is there room for one more?"

Vesta's smile grew bigger from his words. Suddenly, Alfred felt himself be tackled to the ground by an obviously energetic and overexcited Aella.

"You did come around!" she cheered.

"Aella, try not to break a bone." Ivy sighed as the guild hall erupted into laughter, Jack chuckling at the sight.

'The ambiance is great for once. At least I know full well this will keep me and Mobius from being exploited again. And I guess we've made some great new friends as well...'


	6. New Team, New Job

**Chapter 6: New Team, New Job**

* * *

Alfred woke up with a groan, his red eyes slowly opening to the snow white ceiling above. With a hand over his mouth, he let out a yawn while he sat up to take in his surroundings, and the snoring in the room.

He was in Aella's apartment, and the blonde Dragon Slayer was sprawled all over her bed as she slept with loud snores. He slept on a smaller bed on the other side of the apartment.

After making it clear he wanted to join the guild, they went into a full on celebration after the induction of their three new members, those being Alfred, Jack, and Mobius. While Jack and Mobius found a nice little home with decent rent, there were no more available apartments for Alfred. So, he had no choice but to share space with Aella, since he felt Ivy was too reserved despite the nice house she owned not too far from the guild hall.

At least with Aella, he could have a good conversation.

Alfred rubbed his eyes and got off the bed to go to the bathroom to start the day. During his shower, Alfred couldn't help but look at the blue mark on his right forearm.

The mark of Clockwork Gear. He was now an official member of the guild.

A minute later, he finished his shower and quickly requipped to a fresh set of clothes. As Alfred walked out of the shower, he saw Aella finally get back up from the bed.

"Good morning." Alfred greeted.

"You're up early." Aella yawned.

"More like you're up late."

"Now that just hurts."

* * *

Later...

Now in their usual outfits, Alfred and Aella walked side by side to the guild hall.

"Can't wait to see your face after your first day, Alfred." the Dragon Slayer teased, slapping her friend's back with a chuckle.

"You act like something terrible will happen to me."

"Well, for the most part, not really."

They finally reach the guild hall, Aella opening the wooden double doors as she and Alfred enter to be met by the guild master herself.

"Hello, you two. If you're looking for Jack, he's not here yet."

"Master Vesta, is Ivy around?" Aella asked, but the orange haired woman simply shook her head, replying,

"She went on a mission, just not S-Class. Rex took the last one."

"Can't say I blame her." the blonde crossed her arms. "Rex is too much of a workhorse."

"Well, she is one of our few S-Class wizards."

"Did you two forget that I am here?" Alfred quickly grabbed both women's attention, who are immediately embarrassed at forgetting he was even there.

"Oh, right." Aella laughed. "Come on, I'll show you around."

She then dragged him deeper into the guild hall, explaining some of them members to him.

"Alright, let's start with some of our heavy hitters." Aella pointed at a large, muscular man with slicked up brown hair and beast-like brown eyes. He sported a green militaristic attire. He was sitting alone on a bench, sipping bear. "That's Viktor Grayback. Uses Take Over: Beast Soul. Not much of a people person but he's a nice guy."

Aella then pointed at a group of women, three of them. One was tan skinned with long brown hair and black eyes. She wore a green sleeveless jacket over her red shirt, light brown trousers and boots and held a white guitar in her hands as she strummed it. One was lighter in skin with equally long black hair and purple eyes yet a bigger bust. She wore a V neck black dress with no sleeves and a pair of red heels while flirting with a nearby group of love-struck guys. The last one was noticeably shorter, with skin like the second woman and not as busty as the first two either. She wore a pair of square framed glasses, a lab coat, blue pants, and black boots. She sat on the bench, watching her two friends along with four floating dragon toys, one red, blue, green, and yellow.

"Carmellia Town Sirens are right there. Guitar girl is Camille Sonoria, Sound Magic, busty dress lady is Karina Queen, Shadow Magic, and glasses girl with floating toys is Julia Grey, Seith Magic. They're the town's top models, but they're just as badass as they are pretty. Pro tip: Don't be disturbed by Karina. She's a habitual flirt."

Alfred did nothing but nod, taking Aella's advice to heart. She then dragged him to the bar area, where they meet another man. He looked dashing with a short stubble and slick black hair and fair skin. He wore a two piece black and white suit as he poured beer on some cups to serve to other guild members.

"Greetings, Fresh Meat. Care for a drink?" the man sneered.

"Not sure if he can, Damien." Aella told him, but the man, Damien, smirked devilishly.

"Oh well. More for me." he then drank from a nearby cup which already had beer in it.

Aella laughed as Alfred raised an eyebrow at Damien's behavior.

"He's a real charmer. Damien Sivana is one of our S-Class mages. He doesn't go on jobs much since someone has to tend to the bar."

"What magic does he use?" Alfred asked.

"One that lets him summon demonic fighters with the proper item." Aella briefly explained before chugging on a beer cup. "Well, anyway, see that board over there by the bar area?" Aella pointed to the left, where there appeared to be a wooden board with a bunch of papers attached to it. Alfred nodded upon seeing it.

The blonde began to explain. "That's the request board. That's where we take requests from clients who will pay us for our work. Usually, it's stuff like helping people out around or out of town by repairing, delivery, escorts, even monster hunting. S-Class jobs, which are up on the second floor where Master Vesta's office is, are a lot harder, so only S-Class mages can take those requests, and we only have three of them: Damien, Ivy, and a fellow you'll meet soon named Rex Cutlerem."

"I see."

"What are you two talking about?" out came a familiar voice.

Alfred and Aella turned around to see Jack and Mobius entering the bar area. Mobius was finally wearing some fresh clothes, which was just a blue vest, not that he minded.

"Jack! How nice of you to join up!" Aella greeted.

"Hey there." the Ice Dragon Slayer greeted. "I just saw someone drawing a portrait of three ladies in mere moments."

"That's probably Charlie. So, what do you guys want to do?"

The two men and the Exceed looked at Aella with raised eyebrows. She just looked at them in return with an incredulous look.

"What are you guys looking at?" Aella asked them.

"You're more of an expert on this stuff. Why don't you tell us?" Mobius flew onto the bar table.

"Well..."

"You lot could just go pick a job, you know?" Damien made a suggestion while holding a bottle of beer.

"Nobody asked you, Damien!"

"What? Who knows, you lot could make a great team. I mean, Snake Scale got their arse handed to them when you two were off fighting."

Aella and Jack looked at each other knowingly before the blonde spoke up.

"You know what, let's take a job, the four of us."

She hopped off the barstool and walked to the request board, leaving Alfred, Jack, and Mobius in the bar area. Aella looked at the board and all the job requests posted.

"Monster hunting, escorting these guys, delivering a package to Magnolia, ah, this one looks nice!" Aella took a piece of paper from the request board, walked to the guys and showed them the paper.

"Heirloom retrieval?" Alfred read. "The reward is 500,000 jewels?"

"It's located in Anemone Town. The client will brief us with the situation first before we commence the mission." Jack continued.

"Very well. We could embark now." Alfred told the Dragon Slayers.

"By...train?" Aella asked.

"Well, that's the fastest way so we have no choice."

Both Dragon Slayers groaned, much to Alfred and Mobius's amusement.

* * *

Later...

With a job made official, the four were bound for Anemone Town. Unsurprisingly, Aella and Jack were too motion sick to do anything other than iie on the chair and floor while Alfred and Mobius watched on.

"Can't we do anything about their motion sickness?" the blue haired mage asked.

"Not really." Mobius admitted. "Not even a bucket of water remedied anything. We'll just let nature run its course."

"I understand. So, how did you and Jack meet?"

"Oh, it's a funny story, actually..."

* * *

_Flashback...1 year ago..._

_We see young Mobius walking around the forest, looking very lost._

_"Hello? Anyone there?" he called out._

_As he did, something hopped out of the bushes...a lizardman!_

_"AAHH!" Mobius screamed with a high pitched voice. Then, came another voice._

_"Ice Dragon's Roar!" Immediately, a beam of ice and snow struck the lizardman, sending it backwards to a tree. Mobius looked on for a little while then saw a young man racing to the scene: Jack._

_"Are you okay?" he asked quickly._

_"I'm fine, thanks. I''m Mobius!"_

_"A talking cat? That's cool. Name's Jack. Jack Weiss."_

* * *

"And that's just about it." Mobius finished with a thumbs up shiny teeth ding.

"That...was not the right time to do that." Alfred sweatdropped.

"Well, there is that one ti-"

"We are now arriving at Anemone Town." the conductor announced.

* * *

Later...

Still carrying their packs, Aella and Jack still looked a little woozy from the train ride. Alfred and Mobius were still fine.

"So...where's the client's house?" the blonde asked.

"Over there." Alfred pointed at a peach colored house in the distance with a shiny wooden roof.

"Looks big." Jack noted. "Good for a guy who would be willing to pay half a million jewels for heirloom retrieval."

* * *

It didn't take long for the group to get settled in. They sat on a sofa in front of another man sitting on another sofa. He wore a plain gray and white suit with a red tie.

"Thank you for taking my request. My name is Tobias." the man spoke. "Before you take part in this mission, I would like to explain the item to you first. It is a magical staff, the Merphos. It has the power to turn nightmares into dreams and the other way around."

"How valuable is this item, exactly?" Jack asked.

"It has been given to my family a long time ago." Tobias explained. "For a long time, we have helped people rest easy with the staff's power. However, earlier this year, it was stolen. I've sent requests to many guilds but they failed to get it."

"Where is the staff now?" Alfred asked.

Tobias' face darkened. "Not too far from here is the house of a loan shark named Zook Harrington. The teams of every single guild have all tried and failed at infiltrating his mansion. Once they got in, they never came back. You're the last guild I've decided to send a request to. Please, that staff means a lot to me."

Alfred stood up, tall and proud. "We'll handle it, sir."

Following suit with standing up were Aella and Jack while Mobius summoned his wings and floated up.

"You got yourself a deal, sir." Aella smirked.

"We will handle it." Jack spoke.


End file.
